[co-authors: Atena Reyhani and Rebecca Yoder]
For many legal departments, the journey to implementing a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system is complex and resource intensive. But what if the next leap in contracts efficiency doesn’t require ripping out what you’ve already built?
This was the central theme of the recent webinar, Beyond Overhauls: How Agentic AI Elevates Your Existing CLM, hosted by Atena Reyhani, Chief Product Officer, ContractPodAi and Rebecca Yoder, Managing Director, Epiq. Together, they explored how Agentic AI transforms contracts operations without disrupting your current tech stack.
From Repository to Intelligence Hub
Most CLMs today serve as structured repositories with workflow capabilities. They help manage contracts but often fall short in surfacing insights or proactively managing obligations. Agentic AI changes that. Think of it as a team of AI ‘employees,’ each with domain-specific expertise (e.g., legal, compliance, finance, procurement) that can reason, act independently, and collaborate with humans.
These agents do not just extract data. They understand context, correlate obligations with upstream and downstream systems (e.g., ERP, HR, procurement), and act by triggering a notification, assigning a task, or escalating a risk. As Atena put it, “We're looking not only at automating a function or a task, but that broader connected intelligence with very targeted and advanced AI systems that can perform tasks independently.”
No Rip-and-Replace Required
One of the most compelling aspects of Agentic AI is its ability to integrate with your existing tech stack. As Rebecca emphasized in the webinar, “You do not need to undo what you’ve already done.” Agentic AI can support your current CLM, unlocking new value without disrupting your workflows.
This is especially relevant for commercial contracts, where teams must manage obligations that span departments and systems. Agentic AI connects the dots, automating deliverables tracking, identifying and flagging risk from geopolitical or regulatory changes, and even identifying revenue leakage.
Obligation Management Reimagined
Obligation management has long been a pain point. Manual extraction, tracking in spreadsheets, and disconnected systems make it challenging to stay ahead. Agentic AI transforms this by:
- Identifying obligations across structured and unstructured data.
- Assigning ownership and tracking fulfillment.
- Proactively flagging risks based on external events or internal system changes.
As Atena put it: “Contracts are the bloodline of the business. Agentic AI ensures they’re not just stored; they’re activated.”
Faster ROI, Lower Lift
Unlike traditional CLM implementations, Agentic AI offers lighter, faster deployment. There’s no need for months of training models or building complex integrations. The agents are pre-trained, secure, and designed to deliver immediate value for compliance analysis, tariff impact assessment, or enhanced procurement performance.
Human and AI Equal Elevated Roles
Agentic AI isn’t about replacing people, it’s about augmenting them. By offloading repetitive tasks to AI agents, contracts professionals can focus on strategic work negotiation, risk mitigation, and value creation.
According to Rebecca, collaborating with AI “doesn't take away from your output. It raises the output’s quality and efficiency and ultimately enhances how a company is performing.”
The future isn’t human vs. AI; It’s human and AI. For commercial contracts leaders, the future is already here.
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